Monday, June 27, 2011

China’s “Conflict Handbags” - Gordon G. Chang - New Asia - Forbes: "The worker unrest in Guangdong is occurring at a time of protests across Chinese cities and a series of bombings directed against government offices. There has been a noticeable increase in social discontent, which seems to have been aggravated by the hardline policies of Hu Jintao, the country’s current leader.

According to one report, there were 280,000 protests in China last year. And although it is not possible to verify the number of “mass incidents,” today there are clearly many more of them than in the middle of last decade, when analysts believe there were only 80,000 to 90,000 demonstrations a year."

Policing the Police: The Apps That Let You Spy on the Cops - Alexis Madrigal - Technology - The Atlantic: "Which is what makes two new apps, CopRecorder and OpenWatch, and their Web component, OpenWatch.net, so interesting. They are the brainchildren of Rich Jones, a 23-year-old Boston University graduate who describes himself as 'pretty much a hacker to the core.' Flush with cash and time from a few successful forays into the app market, nine months ago Jones decided to devote some of his time to developing what he calls 'a global participatory counter-surveillance project which uses cellular phones as a way of monitoring authority figures.'"

Monday, June 20, 2011

Book Review: Unnatural Selection - WSJ.com: "Mara Hvistendahl is worried about girls. Not in any political, moral or cultural sense but as an existential matter. She is right to be. In China, India and numerous other countries (both developing and developed), there are many more men than women, the result of systematic campaigns against baby girls. In 'Unnatural Selection,' Ms. Hvistendahl reports on this gender imbalance: what it is, how it came to be and what it means for the future."

Sunday, June 19, 2011

CARPE DIEM: Companies Leaving California in Record Numbers: "California currently ranks #49 among U.S. states for 'business tax climate' (Tax Foundation) and #48 for for 'economic freedom' (Mercatus). It shouldn't be any surprise then that companies are leaving the 'Golden State' in record numbers this year (see chart above) for 'golder pastures' and more business-friendly climates in other states."

Climate conference faces brush with reality « Hot Air: "In case you missed it – and judging by the complete lack of coverage on the cable news networks you may very well have – there was yet another climate conference held this week in Bonn, Germany. But rather than the usual singing in the round of Bob Dylan tunes and boisterous plans to alter the world, there was a decidedly depressed tone to the discussions."

Saturday, June 11, 2011

America's Hottest Investment: Farmland - The Curious Capitalist - TIME.com: "This is usually a slow time of the year for farm sales. It's past prime planting season. Yet, Sam Kain, Des Moines area manager for land sales at Farmers National, is busy. He has 3 auctions this week. Most of the 30 or so bidders who show up will be farmers. But an increasing number of people buying land these days have no intention of planting seeds, at least not themselves."

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

There is almost nothing that damages consumer confidence as badly as a rapid rise in prices. Starbucks recently increased the price of a bag of coffee by 17% because wholesale prices have risen by almost twice that rate in the last year. Cotton prices nearly doubled in 2010 but has fallen this year. But, apparel is made months in advance of when they reach store shelves. Summer clothing prices are up as much as 20%. That may change in the fall, but for the time being, the consumer’s ability to buy even the most basic clothing has been undermined. Consumers today pay more for sugar, meat, and corn-based products as well."

About Me

Prior to his position as lead pastor in Hilmar California, Ron was senior pastor of Cross Road Assembly in Florence Oregon. He previously served on the pastoral staff at Atlantic Christian Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa, as well as Academic Site Director at Cornerstone Christian College in the same city. He was raised in California.
Ron has a B.A. in Ministerial Studies from Bethany College; an M.A. in Cross-Cultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Master of Divinity from Assemblies of God Theological Seminary.
Ron is married to Karol, his wife of 25 years. They have a 14 year old daughter, Katie.
In his spare time Ron enjoys antiques, bicycling, computers, old cars, shooting, fishing and reading.
e-mail me at ronsbloviating at gmail dot com (change the at and dot)